Characters

• Nostromo: Italian expatriate and charismatic leader of the dockworkers in Sulaco. His reputation for bravery and incorruptibility is tested when he is entrusted with a dangerous mission.
• Charles Gould: The English-descended owner of the San Tomé silver mine. His obsession with the mine's success drives much of the plot.
• Emilia Gould: Charles' wife, an altruistic and refined Englishwoman who becomes disillusioned with her husband's single-minded focus on the mine.
• Dr. Monygham: A misanthropic English doctor with a mysterious past, a long-time resident of Costaguana.
• Martin Decoud: A Europeanized Costaguanero journalist who becomes the intellectual force behind the province's independence movement.
• Giorgio Viola: An exiled Italian revolutionary who now runs an inn in Sulaco.
• Captain Mitchell: The English superintendent of the steamship company and Nostromo's supervisor.
• Don José Avellanos: The patriarch of a prominent Sulaco family and confidant of Charles Gould.
• Antonia Avellanos: Don José's educated and admired daughter, who is in love with Martin Decoud.
• General Montero: A military leader who overthrows the government, sparking the novel's central conflict.
• Colonel Sotillo: An opportunistic military commander obsessed with obtaining the silver from the San Tomé mine.

Quick facts

• The book's title comes from Psalm 147:4 in the Bible, which refers to God numbering and naming all the stars.
• Lois Lowry took the photo used on many editions of the book cover, featuring a 10-year-old Swedish girl named Anna Caterina Johnson.
• The character of Peter is partially based on Kim Malthe-Bruun, a real Danish resistance member during World War II.
• Lowry traveled to Copenhagen to conduct research and interviews for the book.
• Number the Stars has sold more than two million copies in the United States alone.
• A key plot point involves using cocaine to numb the noses of Nazi dogs to prevent them from tracking Jewish refugees.
• Number the Stars has been widely used in schools to teach about the Holocaust and World War II.
• Lowry wrote a companion book called A Summer to Die, which deals with similar themes of loss and courage.

About the author

Lois Lowry is a renowned American author known for her versatile and thought-provoking writing for young adults. Born in 1937 in Hawaii, Lowry grew up in various locations due to her father's military career. After studying at Brown University and starting a family, she turned her attention to writing, publishing her first novel, A Summer to Die, in 1977 at the age of 40.

Throughout her career, Lowry has tackled complex themes and difficult subjects in her works, including terminal illness, racism, and dystopian societies. She gained widespread recognition for her Newbery Medal-winning novels Number the Stars (1989) and The Giver (1993). The latter, part of The Giver Quartet, has become a modern classic and is often credited with pioneering the young adult dystopian genre.

Lowry's writing often explores the importance of human connections and interdependence. Her works, while sometimes controversial and challenged in schools, have resonated with readers of all ages. She has received numerous accolades, including the Margaret Edwards Award in 2007 for her significant contribution to young adult literature. Lowry continues to write and speak, dividing her time between Maine and Florida.

Lowry's personal experiences have deeply influenced her work. The loss of her sister to cancer inspired her first novel, while the death of her son, an Air Force pilot, in 1995 further shaped her perspective on conflict and human fragility. Lowry's ability to address profound themes through accessible storytelling has cemented her place as one of the most important American children's authors of the 20th and 21st centuries.